Two farmers in Coimbatore district have donated 35 cents of land to expand the Chettikuttai tank at Kaduvettipalayam, enabling restoration work aimed at increasing the waterbody’s storage capacity.
R Saravanan donated 19 cents and R Chandrasekhar donated 16 cents for the expansion. The parcels, together valued at several lakhs of rupees, were formally registered in favour of the government at the Annur sub-registrar office.
The donation followed concerns from officials and the Kausika Neer Karangal organisation that the existing spread of Chettikuttai was too small to store adequate water. The tank is part of the Athikadavu–Avinashi project, and its limited area had restricted the quantity of water it could hold.
The Kaduvettipalayam panchayat special officer issued an acceptance letter for the donated parcels. The land will be used to increase the tank’s spread and support the restoration work, according to details reported by The Times of India.
Kausika Neer Karangal president Selvaraj said the organisation and government officials had approached farmers living near the waterbody after identifying the need for additional land. Several farmers in the vicinity had expressed willingness to donate land for the project, he said, adding that the current donation represented the first phase of the expansion.
The restoration is expected by the organisation to improve groundwater levels in the surrounding area. It is also intended to support farming and livestock rearing, while helping address drinking water shortages in the locality. The report did not specify the proposed increase in the tank’s storage capacity or provide a completion deadline for the restoration work.
The transaction places the donated land under government ownership, giving the local administration a formal basis to proceed with the proposed expansion. The acceptance and registration process also establishes that the first parcels have moved beyond an informal pledge and have been legally transferred for the project.
The donation comes as land availability remains an important factor in the restoration of smaller waterbodies. In this case, the existing tank’s inability to store adequate water was linked directly to its limited spread. The additional 35 cents will therefore be incorporated into the waterbody restoration effort rather than treated as a separate land transaction.
Saravanan and Chandrasekhar were felicitated in the presence of volunteers and other farmers. Their decision drew appreciation because of the high value of land in the Coimbatore region and because the parcels were donated for a public water infrastructure purpose.
The next stage is the physical expansion and restoration of Chettikuttai using the land accepted and registered by the government. Further donations from neighbouring farmers could form part of later phases, although the extent and timeline of any additional land transfer were not specified in the report.
